Southwestern College develops new master plan

CHULA VISTA  Faculty, staff and residents turned out in force on Thursday ﻿to learn about potential updates to Southwestern College’s campus in the coming years intended to simplify students’ lives and make amenities more accessible to the community.

The college hosted the workshop, and consultants from Irvine-based Cambridge West Partnership shared their vision for meeting the shifting educational needs of the South Bay community with a group of more than 100 people.

The plan, if approved, would address traffic and safety problems and put to use an infamous undeveloped plot of land at the corner of H Street and Otay Lakes Road. It would also consolidate students’ activities into various zones, with a tight cluster of academic departments at the center of campus to improve efficiency.

The plan for facilities is part of the overall educational plan, explained Cambridge West partner Larry Frapwell, president of HPI Architects, because a well-designed campus will support student access, learning and teaching while balancing academics with socialization and extracurricular activities.

Partners talked about the current design, which includes ample parking that is distributed around the perimeter of the campus, and a strong core of academic buildings. But the main road through campus encircles the academic core, separating it from the parking lots and posing both traffic problems and pedestrian safety hazards. Meanwhile, the aging buildings are becoming progressively less efficient and more expensive to maintain or renovate. About 30 of the buildings on campus are 40 years old or more, about 10 of them are between 30 and 40 years old and a handful are under 30 years old.

The group proposes 13 new buildings over the next 15 years, which would include a student union, a math and science building, an art building, a central student services building, an academic success center. For the H Street and Otay Lakes Road lot, Cambridge West partners suggested new athletic facilities and a performing arts center.

Also on the horizon might be new buildings for the planetarium, language arts, business and administrative services.

Potential new buildings in store for Southwestern College in Chula Vista, per the facilities master plan.
— Southwestern College/Cambridge West Partnership, LLC

Potential new buildings in store for Southwestern College in Chula Vista, per the facilities master plan.
/ Southwestern College/Cambridge West Partnership, LLC

The new student union would ideally include a bookstore, student activities and dining hall, among other things, Frapwell said.

“The idea here is that you’ve created a great one-stop spot for students,” he explained. “We have master planned eight different campuses, so we are implementing the best practices we’ve seen at other campuses.”

One of the most pressing needs, he said, is for a new math and science building, which they propose constructing where the current wellness center is. They also recommend moving the student services building to the edge of the academic cluster so that new students can park and walk directly to it without having to find their way around campus.

The recommendations are the result of an extensive research and interview process, said Cambridge West project manager Joyce Black. The consultants began by interviewing representatives of various departments and schools, projecting the school’s growth and collecting data on the existing buildings.

The group’s proposed construction schedule identifies which items need to be completed in order to move on to others, and also which projects might be eligible for state funding.

Other projects that could enrich campus life, they said, include classroom renovations, a parking deck, a new road that runs around the perimeter of the parking lots, student housing and solar panels.

Community members expressed positive feelings about the plans, but wanted more specifics. Many expressed an interest in dovetailing the college with the community. Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox suggested that planners consider working with the city to make the college library accessible to nonstudent residents.

“This community yearns for good libraries and good library services,” she said.

Southwestern College President Melinda Nish said the facilities master plan is not finalized, and encouraged people to share their feedback. The proposals for the campus can be viewed online here.

The Cambridge West Partnership will visit again for meetings March 6, and will present the plan to the governing board on March 20.